Got to begin somewhere...

So I have decided to start a blog. I am still unsure what I'll actually write about, in all likelihood it will just be reviews of books I've enjoyed, lots of very self-indulgent random ramblings, and perhaps some short stories.

I've had it in the back of my head to start a blog since I was a kid, and realised I had a WordPress account I never used from the early 2010s...

I thought about naming some top fives - top five books, top five songs, recipes, etc - by way of somewhere to start. However, I ended up sitting for about an hour staring dejectedly at five empty bulletpoints, trying desperately to rifle through memories of suddenly elusive titles - had I ever actually read anything, had it all been a dream? - that I thought I'd just name some favourites for the day.

So today's favourite book: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty. Kraken, djinn, hairy legs and lots of swearing, if I could join this pirate crew I would in a heartbeat. I've just finished reading the arc sent to me by HarperVoyager, and I'll post my review at some point.

Today's favourite song: Safe Travels, Don't Die by Lisa Hannigan. This has been knocking around my head for the last week since I got back from a work trip, where I in fact did have safe travels and thankfully didn't die. Got to have standards for work trips.

Today's favourite recipe: Sex on the Beach cocktail. This counts as a recipe, right? I had a phase of 'maybe I'm an undiscovered mixologist' and bought myself a proper cocktail shaker. Only half of the kitchen worktop now smells like peach schnapps, and I consider it a win.

BBC Goodfood's sex on the beach cocktail

Favourite Cleo. Writing assistant (evidently) and therapy cat.

All thanks owed to tech master and boyfriend extraordinaire James for helping me set this blog up. I've never felt like such an old woman. What is an html anyway, can I put it in my wallet?

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My Book Has Published! The Gilded Crown, Book 1 of the Raven's Trade Series

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May 2023 book review

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Marianne Gordon

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